Violent crimes have increased by more than a third in South Lanarkshire over a one-year period.

There were 234 violent crimes reported to Police Scotland in the local authority area between April and September 2018 – up from 179 for the same period the previous year.

The figures, revealed in Police Scotland’s quarterly crime report, include some historic offences, but still show a marked increase in crime.

Victim support charities have described the figures as “deeply worrying”.

The report also revealed that across South Lanarkshire, when compared to April to September 2017, sexual crimes increased by 25.7 per cent to 328, rapes or attempted rapes increased by 43.2 per cent to 53 and crimes of dishonesty rose by eight percent to 3374.

House breaking, including attempted house breaking, dropped by 24 per cent to 357 and drugs charges dropped by 12 per cent to 745.

Rob Hay, Superintendent at Lanarkshire Police, acknowledged the figures, but said that historic cases attributed to the statistics.

He explained: “Clearly any increase in crime is of concern to Police Scotland, but it is important that the public understand the context to these figures, as statistics on their own can be misleading.

“Of the increase in violent crime, 27 of these are offences recorded as part of the enquiry into historical child abuse at Smyllum House, meaning they occurred many years ago but are only being recorded this year.

“The remaining rise is therefore much more modest, but still a matter of focus.

“Lanarkshire division’s response to this has been the high profile Operation Forward campaign between October and January targeting violent offenders.

“In terms of trends, the majority of violent offences are committed by and against persons involved in criminal behaviour.”

Supt Hay said that police, together with partners, were working to support vulnerable members of the community, particularly those battling addiction and those shoplifters who present as “destitute”.

He further welcomed the increase in reporting of sexual offences, stating it is often an under-reported crime. Kate Wallace, CEO of Victim Support Scotland, said: “Any increase in violent and sexual crime statistics is deeply worrying. Behind every statistic is a person, a family and community affected by each crime.

“The psychological, physical and social impact of crime can be all-encompassing and devastating for the lives of an individual and their loved ones.”

A spokeswoman for Rape Crisis described the 43 per cent rise in rape and attempted rape as “significant”.

She said: “While it’s not possible to know whether this is a result of increased confidence in reporting or a rise in the number of offences committed, it’s entirely possible that these figures are due to the latter. It’s vital that anyone in South Lanarkshire reporting – or considering reporting – a sexual offence is reassured that there is both emotional and advocacy support available to them.”

James Kelly, list MSP for Glasgow said: “These figures are alarming and will be of great concern to people in Rutherglen and Cambuslang.

“It is very worrying to see a rise of 30 per cent in violent crimes. People want to feel safe in their local community and it’s vital that the police are properly resourced to combat these increases in crime.”

But Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen and Cambuslang and a Scottish Government minister, said crime has decreased across Scotland.

She said: “Since the SNP entered government, justice has been one of our top priorities. The overall number of crimes recorded in Scotland has fallen by 10 per cent since 2013-14, recorded violent crimes have fallen 49 per cent since 2006-7, robberies are down 47 per cent and crimes of dishonesty down 32 per cent.

“However, these figures for South Lanarkshire are worrying, and I will be looking to speak with the police to see how the figures correspond to a local level.

“I last met with them on January 18 and I’m incredibly grateful for their work in keeping us safe.

“The police do an incredible job across Rutherglen and Cambuslang, and I will continue to work closely with them and others to ensure that everyone feels safe in our communities.”